In 2010 the Museum's marine facility located on Stearns Wharf, the Sea Center, hosted an exhibit called Superpowers. The exhibit featured sea creatures with super, extraordinary adaptations, far beyond those of mortal humans! Yet despite their incredible powers and abilities, these amazing marine animals rely on the real super heroes – humans disguised as everyday people – to protect them from the most dangerous villains.

One of those villains is SMOG. Exhaust from thousands of cars harms more than just the air we breathe. Excessive amounts of carbon dioxide from smog is changing the chemistry of the ocean, making it more acidic. This process, called ocean acidification, endangers animals that make their own shells, such as snails, sea urchins, crabs, and coral. As ocean acidity increases, shells begin to weaken and the animals lose their ability to make new structures.

SOLUTION: Drive Less.
While visiting Santa Barbara, you can take a vacation from your car and reduce your carbon footprint. Vehicles are a major source of smog pollution and greenhouse gases contributing to global climate change. Santa Barbara Car Free is a cooperative partnership founded in 1998 and led by the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District for cleaner air and a healthier planet.

Travel Tips

The Amtrak Santa Barbara Station is just walking distance from the Sea Center on Stearns Wharf or you can hop on the MTD Waterfront Shuttle for just 50 cents per person.